The+Most+Dangerous+Game

By Nicole Bruce and Sabrina Chipping

Short Stories - Literary Devises Title: The Most Dangerous Game__

Point of View: Third Person omniscient.

Protagonist: The protagonist is Sanger Rainsford.

What type of character is the Protagonist? He is a dynamic and round character

Antagonist: General Zaroff

Describe the setting The story takes place in the Caribbean, at first on a yacht then on an island. The story takes place in the early 1900’s, after 1918, because the General mentioned having to flee Russia after the Czar was overthrown.

Type of Conflict: Man vs Man, Man vs Environment.

Describe the main conflict: Rainsford struggling to survive in the wilderness, and not being found and killed by General Zaroff, who thinks hunting men can be game.

Describe the Climax of the Story: The climax of the story is when Rainsford jumps into the sea and swims to land. This is the climax because everything after that is conclusion, and is the turning point of the story, because that is when the hunt “stops” and he goes to finish General Zaroff.

How does the Protagonist change over the course of the story? He changes from being the hunter and even remarking to how game have no feelings and “deserve” to be hunted to becoming the prey, and having a totally different view about the matter, now thinking it is barbaric.

Describe the relationship between the title and the theme. The title of the story is The Most Dangerous Game, and this refers to hunting, since a life is always taken. The theme of the story is that the roles of the hunter and the hunted can be switched quickly.

How does the main conflict help to illustrate the theme? The main conflict is when the hunter becomes stranded on an island, and soon becomes the prey of another hunter, who instead of animals, prefers his game to be man.

How does the climax help to illustrate the theme? The climax of the story is when the hunted ends the hunt, and that helps illustrate the theme, because it proves that even if you are the hunter, then prey, the roles can be reversed again.

Simile: “The sea was as flat as a plate glass window.”- page 25 “Its like moist black velvet.” (fog/mist)- page 24 “His mustache was as black as the night.”- page 28

Metaphor: "I am a beast at bay."- page 39 "He was a devil." (General Zaroff)- page

Personification: “That I could sleep without closing my eyes, night would be my eyelids”- page 25 “The muttering and growling of the sea breaking on a rocky shore”- page 26 “The sea licked greedy lips in the shadows.”- page 27

Symbol: The island is a symbol of the hunt; there is no escape, you are trapped and forced to defend yourself, and you have to be careful in every move you make.

Foreshadowing (give both elements): The entire conversation in the first part of the story, from the introduction to when they retire for the night, is foreshadowing that something mysterious and dangerous goes on the island they are sailing past and that bad things will happen if you go on the island.

Bad things did happen to Rainsford when he went to the island, and it was right to have such a bad reputation. The foreshadowing was correct, and hinted to what would happen.

Irony: It was ironic how at the beginning of the story, Rainsford was completely unsympathetic and disconnected to the prey he was hunting, but then became the prey he disregarded and completely changed views when he learned that other humans and then him were the prey on the island.

Imagery: “The swish and ripple of the wash of the propeller.”- page 25 “The lights of the yacht became faint and ever vanishing fireflies.”- page 26 “His mustache was as black as the night form which Rainsford had come.” page 27

Describe the relationships between the class theme and the story. This story was about the hunt: it was about the thrill of the hunt, the predators, and the prey. This relates to our class theme, because everything about hunting is about power; when you hunt, you are asserting your power over something else, taking its life to show you are in control. When you win the hunt, you are proven more powerful. When you lose the hunt, you are powerless. The hunt is much like life. Always fighting to be on top, to have the most things, and to have most of all, power.

Completion 5/5 Effort 4/5 Content 4/5 total 13/15

QUESTIONS: Answer the following questions. /32

1. What is meant by “He lived a year in a minute”? 2/2 He lived his life quickly, and lived every minute to the maximum, full of life and adventure.

2. What is meant by “I am still a beast at bay”? 2/2 What Rainsford meant when he said "I am still a beast at bay", was that he was hostile, angry, and that the hunt was not yet over, like the General assumed it was after they could not find Rainsford and assumed him dead.

3. In which sea has Connell set Ship-Trap island? 1/1 He has set Ship-Trap island in the Caribbean Sea.

4. How is Zaroff able to finance his life style? /2/2 He is able to finance his lifestyle because he had worked as a General in the Russian army, but also invested heavily in American securities, where he made most of his money. His father was also extremely wealthy.

5. If Rainsford wins the hunt, what does Zaroff promise him? 1/1 He tells Rainsford that his "sloop will place you on the mainland near a town."

6. What happened to Lazarus? 2/2 Lazarus, the "finest hound in his pack" drowned in quick sand, as he followed one of the hunted who was trying to hide there.

7. Where does Rainsford spend the first night of his hunt? 1/1 He spends the first night of the hunt on the branch of a tree.

8. How many acres did Zaroff’s father have in the Crimea? 1/1 His father owned a quarter of a million acres in Crimea.

9. Why does Zarroff suggest Rainsford wear moccasins? 1/1 He suggests he wear moccasins because they leave a "poorer trail", meaning it is harder to follow the person who is wearing them.

<span style="font: 12px/19px Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">10. What caused Rainsford to believe Zaroff knew he was hiding in the tree? Do you think he was right? Give reasons. 3/3 <span style="font: 12px/19px Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">He thought Zaroff knew he was hiding in the tree, because he stopped and smiled, then lit a cigarette and walked back the way he came. I think he was right; I think Zaroff knew he was hiding there and turned back because he thought it was too easy and did not want the hunt to be over so fast. He wanted to prolong it.

<span style="font: 12px/19px Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">11. How does Zaroff stock his island with “game”? 2/2 <span style="font: 12px/19px Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">He traps the sailors there after their ships become shipwrecked, either because of the sea and the weather, or because the general presses a button which releases lights, indicating there is a channel when there isn't. This forces the shipmates to crash upon the nearby rocky shore.

<span style="font: 12px/19px Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">12. What happened to General Zaroff at the end of the story? 2/2 <span style="font: 12px/19px Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">At the end of the story, General Zaroff is getting ready to go to bed, when Rainsford, who was hiding in his bedroom appears. He confront the General, and states that "he is still a beast at bay" and that the general should "get ready". The General then states how "one of us is to furnish a repast for the hounds. The other will sleep in this very excellent bed." <span style="font: 12px/19px Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">The last, concluding sentence states how Rainsford decided that the bed is the most comfortable he had ever slept in. We assume that the General was killed by Rainsford in their final battle.

<span style="font: 12px/19px Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">13. Inspite of being hurt, Zaroff congratulates Rainsford on his “Malay mancatcher,” why? 2/2 He congradulates Rainsford on his Malay Mancatcher because it shows that he is an experienced hunter, and has travelled all over the world, because you learn to make them in Malacca. He also was pleased that Rainsford was proving to be more entertaining and challenging than any other of the prey.

<span style="font: 12px/19px Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">14. How do we know Rainsford is an exceptionally fit man? 2/2 <span style="font: 12px/19px Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">We know that he is fit because whenever he was on the move in the hunt he was always running, climbing, and jumping. This shows that he has good endurance. He also swam a far distance, such as in the beginning of the story when he swam to the island from his ship, and near the end when he swam around the island to avoid capture.

<span style="font: 12px/19px Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">15. Discuss the state of mind of Rainsford before he lands on the island versus that after he meets the General. What is different? (Especially about how he perceives animal feelings.)5/5 Before Rainsford lands on the island, he is thinks prey have no feelings and even "deserve" to be hunted. He tells Whitney, his shipmate, that "the prey have no understanding, and don't even have fear." He also stated that "the world was made up of two classes- the hunters and the huntees." After he lands on the island and learns that General Zaroff was hunting humans, this changed his views on hunting entirely. Instead of thinking how animals had no feelings, he started to think that it was wrong to hunt them because they did. He started to think of hunting as "cold-blooded murder." Even more so, when he became the prey, he began to know what it felt like to be the one being hunted, being chased and having to fight for your life. I don't think he would have continued hunting after he left the island because of everything that occurred. After everything that happened on the island, he seemed to think of animals as having feelings and fear, because he found out what it was like to be hunted.

<span style="font: 12px/19px Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">16. How does Connell inspire fear without obvious bloodshed/grotesqueness. 3/3 <span style="font: 12px/19px Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Connell inspired fear in the story by Man vs Man chases, and the thrill of the hunt and chase, rather than the kill. There wasn't a vast amount of grotesqueness in the story, even though there were gun shots and murder, and this created an atmosphere of fear for both the characters and the readers. There was also fear in the story because of suspense, and even the very idea of someone hunting people like animals.

32/32 <span style="font: 12px/19px Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Trailer Ideas

<span style="font: 12px/19px Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Beginning: Fade in to show over head view of the island. Fade out. Switch to show Rainsford and Whitney talking about the island. Whitney: The place has a bad reputation. Fade out.

<span style="font: 12px/19px Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Fade in. Show Rainsford falling overboard, then swimming. Switch to showing him knocking on the door of Colonel, then the door opening.

<span style="font: 12px/19px Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Show the Colonial and Rainsford sitting at the table, eating. Colonial: I had to invent a new animal to hunt. Show Rainsford's astonished face. :But you can't be serious. Show General smiling.

<span style="font: 12px/19px Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin: 0px;">Show Rainsford sleeping, then him waking up to the sound of a scream and a gunshot.

Rest of the trailer will include a montage of scenes from the story, including overhead view of Rainsford running through the forest, dogs chasing him, the tree in the sling, and then a slow scene where it shows the General walking under the tree where Rainsford is hiding, and smiling. Then continue to show fast scenes like Rainsford jumping off the cliff into the water, and others, ending showing Rainsford standing face to face with the General in his room at the end. Fade out.

Hear a gunshot and the General laughing, then show the release date.